Asaram's witness-killing gunman arrested

Gujarat's Anti-Terrorism Squad has arrested Kartik Haldar, a
gunman suspected to be behind the killings of three key witnesses in the rape
cases filed against self-styled godman Asaram. Haldar was arrested from Raipur
in Chhatisgarh on Sunday.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) and IG in charge
of the ATS JK Bhatt said: "Other than murdering the witnesses, Haldar had also
attempted to kill four other persons who were directly or indirectly associated
with the rape cases filed against the jailed religious leader in Jodhpur and
Ahmedabad."

In a statement, the ATS said that Haldar had revealed during interrogation
that he had been instructed by 'sadhaks' (followers) of Asaram to kill these
witnesses and therefore weaken the cases against the godman. He said he had
been funded by sadhaks in Asaram's ashrams all over the country, according to the
Hindustan Times.

Haldar is an accused in the murders of Asaram's personal
doctor Amrut Prajapati in June 2014, his assistant and cook Akhil Gupta in
January 2015, and key witness Kripal Singh in July 2015. All of them were shot
from close range, said the ATS.